Posted inPeople
Tales from My First Pride
I attended my first Pride march this Saturday. I was nervous at first, but at the end of the two-hour walk I was elated and inspired.
Posted inPop Culture
All Hail Jaanbaaz Julia
Karan Johar made the mistake of believing he’d invited Kangana Ranaut of a decade ago to Koffee with Karan. No longer the awkward outlier, the actress dropped several truth bombs.
Posted inPOV
A Very Mumbai Christmas: Drunk Santa, No Snowfall, and a Fake Tree
Christmas as a Mumbaikar is a unique experience. We compensate for the absence of snow with tons of cotton spread unevenly on our (mostly plastic) trees. And the Christmas Parade is basically Ganpati Visarjan’s poor, underperforming cousin.
Posted inTechnology
“Siri, Am I in a Manipulative Relationship with Apple?” Why We’re Enjoying the Decline in iPhone Sales
Like a high-school crush, we’ve allowed Apple to set its terms, offering us very little in the bargain. So when the company announced expected decline in sales, we rejoiced. Maybe now they can start asking questions like, “Why did we laugh at that customer when he asked for a discount?”
Posted inPop Culture
How Inside Jokes Helped Me Understand the Crisis in Indian Stand-Up Comedy
The #MeToo allegations that have marred the Indian comedy scene in the last few weeks had convinced me that I was done with stand-up. Then I stumbled upon Inside Jokes. The six-part docu series gets inside the heads of seven amateur comedians and highlights the transient nature of comedy.
Posted inFirst Person
I Am Fat Because My Body Houses All My Trauma
I was constantly being told that I needed to lose weight to look good, to find a boyfriend, to be accepted. But staying fat was probably my body’s rebellion against the society that so desperately wanted to change me. My body is a vault that stores all my secrets, all my traumas.
Posted inPop Culture
How Game of Thrones Made Me Lose Faith in the Idea of Love
Game of Thrones has painted perhaps the glummest picture of love ever conceived in popular culture. Love does not last or make us better persons. Instead, it corrupts, handicaps, and burdens as much as any other responsibility in the world.
Posted inPOV
Dear Chowkidars of Twitter, What About the Real Watchmen of Indian Democracy?
Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a chowkidar, just like he was a chaiwallah yesterday. Politically, it is a compelling strategy, but true protectors of democracy have been silenced in one way or another. They’ve either faced bullets like Gauri Lankesh or are behind bars like Sudha Bhardwaj.
Posted inPOV
Dear Bosses, Stop Telling Your Employees to Be a Big Happy Family at Work
The office is just that – a place where you show up to deliver the work you agreed to when you signed the dotted line, and leave the minute you meet your deadlines. With happiness and without guilt. Why are bosses then, so obsessed with conjuring up a family within the workplace? I have one slightly neurotic, dysfunctional family at home, I don’t need another one at work, thank you very much.
Posted inCulture
Mumbai Meri Jaan: Kabhi Cushy, Kabhie Kaam
The first time I met Mumbai, I was looking at the city through keyholes that were actually the glassed domes of its fabled high-rises, tinted with expensive weekends. My second encounter with Mumbai was when I was between jobs. It was harsh and overwhelming – an eye-opening reality check into my privileges.